A regional vision of mobility

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Why talk about mobility and not transportation?

Mobility is the ability of people to move around, regardless of the mode of transportation. It includes travel required for daily activities such as going to work or school, shopping, or visiting family and friends. Mobility involves the concept of accessibility and takes into account both the transportation system (how people travel, land use planning and destinations) and the social and economic conditions of individuals and the places they go.

Sustainable mobility is the search for effective, equitable and energy-efficient ways to travel that have a low-carbon impact and promote economic development. The vision of sustainable mobility is to provide citizens with more travel options, increase the proximity and accessibility of destinations vis-à-vis points of departure and promote low-carbon forms of transportation.

The use of the term “mobility” therefore places the ability of individuals to move around at the heart of each of our initiatives, instead of focusing on the construction of infrastructure, acquisition of rolling stock, the transit system or the network map. Even though we are still discussing transportation, it is primarily from the perspective of people – and their social, economic and geographic characteristics – that public transit issues will be addressed as we elaborate our strategic development plan. All of this obviously includes specific elements of sustainable mobility, with an approach that focusses on getting people around as well as the environment. From a metropolitan point of view, it also encompasses land use so that easy, integrated and seamless mobility, vibrant communities and a thriving economy all go hand in hand.

Government and metropolitan guidelines

The Plan stratégique de développement du transport collectif (strategic plan for developing public transit) will help attain metropolitan and government goals established in the Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (PMAD) (metropolitan land use and development plan) of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) and in the Politique de mobilité durable du gouvernement du Québec-PMD (the Québec government’s sustainable mobility policy).

Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (Metropolitan Planning and Development Plan) of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal

The Politique de mobilité durable ̶ 2030, which was adopted by the MTQ in spring 2018, outlines the main guidelines for sustainable mobility in Québec until 2030. Its vision of mobility is firmly committed to the needs of citizens and businesses, placing them at the heart of transport planning, while promoting mobility with a low-carbon footprint. 11 targeted action frameworks include urban and regional public transit, active transportation, adapted transportation and new mobility.

Below are the 10 targets of the Politique de mobilité durable ̶ 2030:

Access to at least four sustainable mobility services for 70% of the Québec population

A 20% reduction in the average travel time between home and work

A 25% decrease in the number of fatal or serious accidents compared to 2017

A 20% decrease in number of single occupancy car trips across the province

A 40% reduction in oil consumption in the transport sector compared to 2013

A 37.5% decrease in GHG emissions in the transport sector compared to 1990

As part of its Plan stratégique de développement ( strategic development plan), the ARTM is establishing guidelines and principles to create a coherent vision for the entire metropolitan area. This plan is being developed in partnership with major regional stakeholders who are working to improve mobility.

Preliminary goals

The initiatives and policies outlined in the Plan stratégique de développement will help the region achieve three preliminary goals:

Improve connections to jobs and other activities to support the region’s economic and sustainable development by offering reliable and efficient transit services that are well integrated into communities.

Anticipate major demographic, climate and technological changes and effectively plan for them.

Preliminary principles

The initiatives and policies outlined in the Plan stratégique de développement will be developed according to the following principles:

Respect the government’s and the CMM’s land use and mobility goals and contribute to achieving the following objectives and targets:

Increase the transit mode share during morning peak to 35% by 2031 by planning the development of the transit network and active modes in the metropolitan area, using an integrated approach to transportation and land use planning.

Aim to reduce GHGs by developing transit networks and adapting public transit facilities and infrastructures to climate change.

Performance-based: they will help achieve these objectives for the future of the metropolitan area. Their results will be evaluated using performance measures based on regional and governmental goals.

Centered on people’s mobility needs: they will factor in diverse needs and be spatially and economically equitable.

Coherent: they will be envisioned as a whole, focus on use of different modes, integrate into existing networks and build on a regional vision that aligns transportation and land use.

Financially responsible: they will be developed and operated while respecting available financial resources and continuing to research and identify new sources of funding.

Efficient: they will help improve mobility for the most people possible while making sound use of resources.

Resilient: they will be able to resist or adapt to unforeseen disturbances or major changes.